KEF X300A red blinking light

[tompegbel]

I recently purchased a used set of the KEF X300A (good deal due to minor blemishes) but after using them for two hours the speakers turn off and I get the red blinking light. The manual states that this is a SYSTEM FAULT and the solution is to turn off power for 15 minutes. My problem is that this keeps occurring. I'm using these with my iMAC that has the latest OS and I have the speakers on my desk so I assume they are well ventilated as I hope this is not a thermal issue. Of course the heatsinks are warm but not too hot to the touch. Typically this occurs when I am changing a into new song or video on the computer I hear a minor pop sound (maybe its more of a click) and then 15 seconds later the green light gets bright, the speakers shut off and the green light changes to a red blinking light. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Tom

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I would try contacting KEF for the issue. They most likely can tell what is wrong with your setup and possibly offer solution.

 

[Pogre]

I would try contacting KEF for the issue. They most likely can tell what is wrong with your setup and possibly offer solution.

yes. if there is an issue you might get lucky and they could warranty it for you. it's a longahot, but deftech did it for me when I bought a second hand lemon on ebay.

 

[KenM10759]

Go HERE and click on the "FAQ" tab. There's a good troubleshooting path there. You should go through that first and check all possibilities they present before contacting them.

When I have had to contact KEF (at least here in the US) they've been very responsive.

 

[babaseen]

Thanks you for your reply's, good advice. I have contacted KEF customer service and while they have been very responsive they have no idea of what the problem could be. They also stated that warranty is not transferable, which is fine and offered to evaluate the speakers for a $75 charge but I'm still trying understand the issue before I decide what to do.

I do have another iMac in the house too and had put the speakers on it for about two hours and I did not have any issue arise. When I put the speakers back on my iMac they worked for about four hours and then when the computer was idling (meaning I was not on the web or playing any music) I heard "that static sound" from the speakers. This sound is randomly occurring for like a second or two and triggers the KEFs to shutdown. Within 10 seconds of hearing that sound (which at this point seemed not to be caused by anything obvious) the light on the KEF's goes to bright green for a second and then changes to the blinking red. This seems like a computer problem, but what bothers me is that when the speakers go off it takes at least 2-3 hours or more for the speakers to recover even if disconnected from the computer. This event happens everyday I use the computer and the KEF speakers, if I use another set of speakers or headphones I do not get that (one or two second) random static sound.

The issue that boggles my mind is that I have had this iMac for over 5 years and have never heard "that static sound" with the internal speakers, headphones or the M-Audio powered speakers, only with the KEFs does this happen. The main difference for the KEFs is that they are connected to the computer through the USB port, maybe I should use them by just connecting with the headphone output but I lose fidelity with that set up and I want them to work with the USB port. I have endlessly searched Google for anyone having anything similar and have come up with very few similar scenarios, and I have tried all of the recommendations with computer settings but to no avail.

Still looking for any advice...I'm at wit's end.

Tom

 

[KenM10759]

Anything with electronics (especially capacitors) is something I shut down completely, disconnect from power supply for at least 5 minutes. I know you've likely done this multiple times, but just in case...